Use of the N-word in Today's Society

WARNING: Contains language that some would find offensive.

Monday night, a Florida state senator from Miami was accused of using the n-word to a pair of African-American colleagues at a members-only club. Ironically, Senator Frank Artiles wasn't accused of calling the African-Americans "niggers." He was referring to six members of the Republican Party in Florida, who have no elected African-Americans. For those of you keeping score at home, this means a white politician used the n-word to characterize six white elected officials. To make the story even more interesting, Artiles defended his actions by saying he didn't call them "niggers," but "niggas." In some circles, the use of "nigga" is not out of hate or racism, but out of friendship or family. My worst fear has come true: our justification for the "positive" use of the word has come back to bite us in the ass.

This senator shows us the danger of allowing a word that contains such anger and hatred, to be repackaged and used again. In the heat of the moment, we don't hear the subtleties between saying nigger versus nigga. Through music (especially rap and hip-hop), comedians, and movies, use of the n-word has become chic. Because of this, America's youth are using the word with alarming frequency. Over the last six years, I have been dealing with teenagers on a daily basis. I can't tell you how many times I have heard students use the word in my presence. On a handful of occasions, I've even had students call me both a nigger and a nigga. This has come from both white and black students. As a teacher, I don't have the time to determine what the intent was behind the use of the word. There are certain words that make your ears perk up when you hear it. The n-word is one of those words that make people pay attention.

When you look at other cultures and races, there is no talk of transforming a derogatory term into a positive by slightly changing it. Hispanics aren't walking around calling each other "spics" and expecting other races to stop using it at the same time. Orientals don't ask us to accept them calling each other "chinks." Nor have I noticed Middle Easterns calling themselves "towel heads" while being mad at the world when others do it. As African-Americans, we need to recognize we can't have it both ways. This word still carries a lot of pain for those of us who have been called it in a derogatory way. While I might be able to tell the difference when someone tries to say nigga, the word has no place in public settings like school, church and work.

So I say to Senator Artiles, you were wrong for being so obscene to your colleagues. Just because your circle of friends like to say nigga or nigger, doesn't mean that everyone else does. You did the right thing by resigning from your position. On a personal note, I have never written the n-word more times than I have in this post. I needed to put it on paper in it's literal form so we can all see it for what it is. The word is destructive and devisive to everyone involved. Every single time you say "nigger" or "nigga," you're telling someone that you hate. Maybe you hate African-Americans and this word accurately expresses your feelings. Maybe you hate whites and saying "nigga" is your way of getting back at them. Or just maybe, you truly believe it's a word that has lost it's power over the years. No matter your reason for using it, I would challenge you to use something else. I am not anyone's nigger or nigga.